Saving Grace
by LaughterNeverDies
Summary: Castiel risks everything for one night. In every life there are choices to be made, dangers to be faced, and punishment to be endured for the one you love. Castiel discovers that Dean just might be that one...


**A/N: Set just during Season 4. Just my little offering to the Supernatural fandom I joined so recently. I only just started watching so my knowledge is limited! Hope you enjoy! ~K x**

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"Our Lord teaches that love, above all other emotion, is the purest and most valuable attribute of human kind." Castiel growled, the forbidden anger building slowly within his being. "Why do you maintain that it is a sin for me to care about him, to feel affection, even, towards the human whom I have sworn to protect?"

"The sin is not in caring about a human Castiel, it is in caring about _this_ human. Are you saying that you would disobey God in pursuit of such a fickle desire such as passion or pleasure?"

"I do not seek pleasure from him"

"No? I saw you, the day you saved him. You watched him then, discovering your mark on his body. I'm no fool. You are developing an impure infatuation with this man. It must end."

"It is not your place to question my judgement Uriel. I've done nothing wrong."

Uriel gave a brittle laugh. "Yet"

"You think I am weak?" Castiel hissed venomously.

"I anticipate that you will succumb to him."

"That is of no importance. He is favoured-"

"He is a liability."

"That is not for you to decide."

There was a silence which could have lasted an age. In the space between there is no concept of time. The two angels remained in quiet contemplation as life unfolded below them. There was a feint whisper of wings as Castiel readied himself to depart.

Uriel raised his head to deliver a final blow.

"It is a long way to fall for one man..."

"You think I have forgotten?"

There was no reply.

"Tell me," Uriel said after another pregnant pause. "Is he worth it?"

His answering silence remained suspended in eternity as the brilliant light intensified and Castiel descended to earth.

Uriel acknowledged this with a sigh. He knew that his superior would seek out that _Dean Winchester. _In all his power, Castiel was never able to stray from the human for long. There was a higher authority which would judge the angel for his betrayal.

Castiel let his consciousness float dreamily through the ether. He would find Dean. He always did. Castiel knew there was a force binding them, tethering him to Dean. He had long since come to understand that this was not duty, nor honour. It was something far more dangerous. It was love.

He sought out his human form, grounding his soul and binding himself to the Earth. Castiel's borrowed vision cleared, he was dressed in the clothes the vessel had favoured, and he had to admit he appreciated the way the trench coat shrouded his narrow body as he crossed the darkened room. The angel sought out the human who lay on the bed, his limbs tangled in the bed sheets. Castiel felt that same intense possessiveness consume him as he lay eyes on the vulnerable man.

Dean thrashed desperately, his mind invaded by the unsettling presence in his dream. He could hear the steady beat of wings in the still air, the cool brush of fingers against his cheek, and a tantalizing whisper of his name carried on a breath of sweet wind as Castiel passed into his room. _Dean. _

The angel allowed him to wake, his eyelids fluttering slightly as Dean struggled into consciousness. Castiel settled himself on the bed beside the man, watching in fascination as Dean opened his eyes.

"Jesus shit!" Dean choked as he eyed the silhouette of the figure seated close to him with wary apprehension. It was Cas, of course it was. Who else had literally no concept of personal space? Castiel frowned and tried to ignore the blasphemous language.

"Sorry" Dean atoned "just don't do that to me Cas!"

The angel smiled at the endearing variation of his name. Dean sat up, conscious of the impossibly slight weight of Castiel perched somewhere near his thighs. Castiel's eyes shone in the dull orange glow emitted from the streetlamp outside, his smile was small but welcoming, a gentle twitch of his lips. He only ever expressed such pleasure in this one human's company.

"You got a job for me?" Dean mumbled sleepily. Castiel noted that Dean was not wearing many clothes, only a pair of boxers which were slung dangerously low on his hips. He looked away out of respect for his master's creation and the obvious tenting of the sheet around Dean's crotch area. He wondered idly what the human had been dreaming about.

"Hey, you OK Cas? That angel Uriel giving ya hell?" Castiel turned back to Dean, who had positioned his legs accordingly and was watching the angel with an expectant quirk of his eyebrow.

"No." Castiel answered shortly. Dean had a tuft of hair sticking out by his ear. Castiel fought down the indecent urge to smooth it into place.

"What are you here for then? Come to watch me sleep, what?"

Castiel hesitated; he didn't know what was happening. He eyed Dean's pentagram tattoo absently, the ink etched permanently into his skin. He thought about the engravings he had carved into Dean's ribs. Heat rose in his cheeks and he looked away abruptly.

"I apologise, I did not mean to intrude."

It could have been Dean's imagination, but was Cas...blushing? "Dude, come on I was kidding, what's up?"

"I felt...alone." Castiel murmured, folding his hands in his lap nervously. He felt a sudden jolt as Dean nudged him with his elbow in a strange show of awkward compassion.

"That's alright Cas, it's natural. People get lonely; we're not supposed to spend our lives on our own."

"I should not feel alone Dean. I shouldn't feel at all. I have an entire garrison for company and yet, I felt as though I wanted to see you."

The hunter didn't know how to reply to such a confession, sitting up in the motel bed with the scratchy sheets and suspiciously stained carpet, he gave a crooked smile and nodded slowly.

"'Sokay, I don't mind. I mean, a bit of warning might be nice sometimes." He said, gesturing to his current state of partial nakedness. Castiel did not reply, his eyes fixed on Dean's shoulder, hypnotized by the inflamed hand print raised on the hunter's tanned skin. Uncertain of what he was doing, the angel lifted his right hand to cover the burn; conscious of the unnatural heat of Dean's flushed skin beneath his cool touch. The print perfectly matched, of course. It was his after all, Castiel's mark, branding this man as his own. He remembered how the other angel, Anna, had laid her hand over it, possession and passionate hunger flickering in the intensity of her gaze as she made love to Dean. _His _Dean.

Castiel had stayed nearby for the entire time the couple were together, jealousy and the irrational sting of betrayal overwhelming his every thought as they rutted senselessly in the back of that car. He had watched Dean with her, the lust and sinful desire crackling like lightning between the two of them, the intimate way they had touched each other. Castiel wondered how it felt to be touched in that way, to be caressed...to be loved.

He had known no such emotion as this. In the entirety of his existence, Castiel had never made love to another being, never felt that connection or experienced the unparalleled pleasure and ecstasy in that brief union. He kept to himself, politely refusing the advances of female and sometimes male angels. Castiel's every thought was of his work, his obedience, the tasks he was bound to carry out in the name of his Father.

Dean's chest rose and fell, his breaths quickly becoming more laboured as Castiel gently stroked a fingertip along the scar tissue, and thoughtfully caressed the dip of the burn where his palm had come into contact with the human's skin.

Dean wanted so badly to flinch away from the cold touch of the angel, who was watching him with a frightening intensity as he stroked his own mark on the hunter's skin. The hand pressed lightly over his arm almost ached with the power he could feel pulsating beneath the surface of Castiel's borrowed flesh. The vessel couldn't even begin to contain the sheer amount of energy compressed within it. He didn't move, not because he felt that he could not, he could, but because he needed this, to be close to Castiel even if it was only for a brief moment as the contact made his blood dance as the electricity crackled through his body, and the barely intimate gesture quickly became the most sensual experience of his life. "Cas?" He rasped, his voice croaky with disuse like he hadn't spoken in an age.

Castiel seemed to snap back to reality and withdrew his hand slowly. "I apologise, that was inappropriate." He murmured, averting his penetrating gaze with some difficulty. Dean tried desperately to ignore the stab of disappointment he felt at the loss of the angel's touch.

The hunter shook his head as Castiel turned away, he knew that look, the bastard was going to disappear. Not this time.

"Cas wait a minute, don't you go all pensive and broody on me again, and don't try flapping off to heaven either or so help me I will pin you to this freakin bed!" He blurted without thinking. Castiel eyed Dean's hand clasped tightly over his own which lay on the bed, and raised his head to look the human in his searching eyes.

"I don't understand...I..." Cas seemed to find it hard to put into words the smattering of emotion he was experiencing. There was a kind of need, deep and profound, drawing him towards Dean, and he didn't know what it was, or how to make it stop. He didn't know if he _wanted_ it to stop, and that frightened him.

He also didn't know why he did what he did next.

All Dean did was blink, and Cas was there, right in front of his face. He had a barely a second to react before the angel took one last shy look at the hunter's face, closing his eyes and leaning in...

Castiel's lips were soft and hesitant as they kissed, moving gently against Dean's, his hand returning to the hunter's arm to caress the inflamed scar and take hold of the other man a little more firmly.

Dean froze, his whole body tensing with shock. This was wrong; this was Castiel, an angel for God's sake! He didn't even know for sure if the Bible actually allowed this kind of thing, an angel being with a human, or two dudes being together in this way for that matter.

Somehow Dean found himself kissing back. Castiel let out a soft, breathy moan as he pressed closer. He was leaning awkwardly over Dean, his trench swamping them both.

Suddenly something snapped in Dean, his senses returning. He stopped kissing the angel and completely flipped out. He pushed Castiel away roughly, scrambling back against the headboard of the bed with a look of shock plastered on his face.

Castiel looked hurt and confused as he sat back heavily. "Dean?" He whispered, his voice small and frightened. The hunter rubbed a hand over his tired face, squeezing his eyes tightly shut and groaning, the lingering scent of Castiel clinging to his skin.

Cas smelled like earth and rain and tree sap, and something Dean couldn't quite place, like that indescribable energy which fizzed in the air during a lightning storm. He wanted more, he wanted all of Castiel and his body ached with longing as he stared into the angel's passive blue eyes which were turned upon his face with such hope and sadness.

Dean crawled slowly forwards until he was sitting beside Castiel. The angel didn't dare move as the human inched closer with a reproachful look. Dean lifted a hand and brushed his fingertips gently over the angel's cheek in an uncharacteristic expression of tenderness. Castiel's eyes fluttered closed and he leaned into the caress, his lips parting slightly. Dean leaned forwards and placed a reassuring kiss to the angel's lips.

"I'm sorry" He breathed as he pushed Castiel slowly onto the bed. Dean cupped the angel's face with his hand and brought them closer, applying a soft pressure to the kiss. Castiel sighed as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders and threaded his long fingers into Dean's short hair, tugging lightly on the downy fluff at the nape of his neck and pulling the human further on top of him. They moved slowly, each movement measured and careful, as though each of them were as delicate as glass.

Dean pulled Castiel up carefully, gripping the lapels of his trench coat and pushing it gently from his shoulders. The hunter almost laughed, Cas looked so different without the coat, so vulnerable. He had never really taken into account the build of the smaller man. Castiel's small shoulders and flat chest were outlined by the thin fabric of his white shirt, and the tie hung loosely from his neck as it always had done. It was twisted backwards; Dean had no impulse to correct it. It was like Cas, neat and dressy but ever so slightly crooked. Dear Lord, now he was comparing Castiel to a piece of clothing. Dean thought he must be insane, but there was a look in Castiel's eyes which grounded him with a snippet of sanity and understanding. He smiled.

"Dean, Dean..._Dean"_ Castiel murmured, his grip tightening in the hunter's hair as they made love. Dean ran careful hands up Castiel's sides, skimming his shoulder blades and digging his nails lightly into muscle. Cas groaned and a shiver shook his body as Dean pushed up into him again. The hunter shifted and gave a gasp as Castiel rolled his hips slowly atop him, grinding down and curving his spine again in that strange manner which made Dean think of a cat stretching, as though there was something itching beneath his skin. He growled deep in his throat as Cas brought their lips together once more, joining them in more ways than one.

The angel shuddered, giving a quiet whimper as his body shook uncontrollably.

"Cas, you OK?" Dean breathed, pressing their foreheads together and closing his eyes as the pleasure rippled over his flesh. Cas gave a soft whine and his hand found the mark seared onto Dean's skin, covering it and squeezing the human's arm possessively. Dean's body jolted with pleasure as Castiel gently massaged his burned skin and pressed desperate kisses to his body, wanting everything Dean could offer him and revelling in the new, beautiful sensations he was feeling.

"Dean...I..." Cas couldn't seem to manage the words, and he convulsed suddenly, arching his back again with a cry of pain mixed with pleasure. Dean screwed his eyes tightly shut as a burst of brilliant white light threatened to blind him. Castiel dug blunt nails into Dean's shoulder and threw his head back, choking out a gasp as his wings unfolded.

The angel shook his body and stretched his mangled wings with pride, ruffling the feathers until they settled into place. Dean gaped, entranced by the impossible beauty of this fragile glimpse of Castiel's true form. The angel's wingspan was enormous, and the ragged feathers brushed the walls on either side of the motel room. Each feather was tipped with a shining point of celestial light which glowed from within Castiel's being, dazzling and golden, as though the light of heaven kissed the very edges of this dark and drab little corner of Earth. Castiel closed his eyes, a sated smile lifting the corners of his mouth, his arms spread wide with abandon as Dean continued to move within him slowly. The hunter could hardly breathe, and he gazed in awe at the angel as they made love, wondering how he had come to deserve such passion and affection from this incredible being. Castiel groaned and his body stiffened as he came close to his release, and he folded his wings around them, the primary feathers tickling Dean's shoulders as Cas shrouded them with his newly revealed appendages. Dean's wandering fingers travelled up Castiel's spine to the base of his wings where they jutted from the vessel, feeling the hot wet presence of blood from broken skin. It seemed that in such a display of angelic passion Castiel's grace had expanded to envelop them both in their union, and in doing so Cas' wings had erupted from his soul and presented themselves in their physical form.

"God, Cas, you really are something else." Dean murmured, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against the angel's chest. He sighed as Castiel stroked gentle fingers through his hair and his wings rustled as he enclosed the hunter protectively in them. Dean moved his hand and his tentative fingers brushed against Cas' arm in questioning, hovering over the angel's sensitive wing, asking for permission. Castiel opened his eyes, piercing blue meeting Dean's hesitant gaze as he nodded slightly, his eyelids fluttering closed.

Dean let his hand rest carefully over Castiel's wing and rubbed his thumb in slow soothing circles. Cas groaned, his hips bucking forwards unconsciously.

"Cas?" Dean said cautiously, worried that he may have hurt the angel.

"No, don't...stop Dean. It's...good" Cas gasped, pushing into Dean's hand and moaning wantonly. Dean didn't need telling twice, he began stroking Castiel's wing gently in time with his quickening thrusts, running his fingers through the impossibly soft feathers with pleasure. Castiel cried out with passion in his release, murmuring something indiscernible in Enochian. Dean hissed quietly as the angel spilled over his stomach, pulling Cas down and pressing their bodies together as the swell of his orgasm dragged him under.

"Castiel!" He gasped. The human clutched desperately at his angel, his hips thrusting slowly as he rode it out. Dean gave a little whimper as he pulled out of Cas, not letting him go.

"Dean" Castiel gasped close to the hunter's ear, touching his lips to Dean's in a slow and tender kiss which embodied all the hunger and longing and unconditional love shared between these two beings since the moment they had met. They held each other close as another spark of searing white light enveloped them, stretching from Castiel's soul to Dean's, binding them.

"I love you" Cas said softly, pressing their foreheads together and opening his eyes to stare at Dean meaningfully. Dean's eyes flicked to Castiel's face, sea green and piercing blue matched in undeniable harmony.

"Cas, I..." Castiel smiled, his lips quirking slightly.

"It is alright Dean. I understand that it may be difficult for you to comprehend the depth of my loyalty. My feelings will remain unchanged. I hope that there comes a time when you can return them, until then I am contented to wait." Castiel reassured him, nuzzling Dean's neck gently and sighing happily.

Dean said nothing, closing his eyes as he felt Castiel shift on top of him and get comfortable. The hunter rolled onto his side, holding the angel close and tangling their limbs together.

In the morning, Sam Winchester would return to the room to find his brother lying naked alone in his bed, the sheets twisted around his body, and a contented smile gracing his lips. He would think how strange it was that Dean had left his shirt hanging from the bedpost, and how a rogue sock came to land on his pillow. Then Sam would smile, and shake his head in recognition of their long-suffering brotherhood, and wander off to take a shower.

The one thing the younger Winchester would fail to notice would be the way the air shifted slightly beside Dean, and the way the pale morning sunlight would seem to catch on something which was in reality, not really there.

Castiel would allow himself a small, happy smile, and leave Dean to his blissfully uninterrupted dreams with a distant flourish of heavy wings.

Dean Winchester would wake up to the sound of a shower running, and he would hope for a moment that it was the one person he longed to wake up beside. But it was Sam, and that was alright.

He would feel the warming caress of the sunlight dappling his tanned skin, and he would open his eyes.

Castiel was gone, leaving behind a single brown feather in his place, which caught the light and seemed to feed on it, soaking in the honey coloured rays, collecting them as they sparkled on the tip like morning dew.

Dean Winchester would close his eyes, and he would sigh, dazzled by the brilliance of his memories, and the promise of what was to come.

High above, in the farthest corner of heaven, Castiel sighed and stretched out comfortably in this little pocket of uninterrupted bliss. He reflected on the events of last night, and although he embodied no physical form, he felt the memory of heat rising to his non-existent cheeks in a delicate blush. The angel felt renewed and invigorated, and every trouble which weighed on his figurative shoulders seemed to melt away with the singular thought of that one man. Even the looming Apocalypse could not overshadow the sheer joy of this moment.

Uriel shook his head in mourning. "Our brother has been violated by one of those vile creatures. He has succumbed to Dean Winchester and his human pleasures. We can no longer trust him."

"Patience. I believe he will change his mind about the human when he learns of what we have planned for him."

"Brother you cannot-"

"You are forgetting your place, Uriel. He will return to us."

"Zachariah..."

"Have faith, brother. Have faith."

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**Thank you for reading! x**


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